“The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved” –Richard Rogers.

Everyone has heard it before: the high rate at which the environment is deteriorating. Ice caps are melting, rain forests are disappearing, air quality is decreasing. Yes, the Earth goes through periods of warming and cooling -- that is a fact -- but we have expedited the process at an exponentially dangerous rate. That is the part that is causing problems and will leave permanent and irreversible damage. We, as a human race, have abused our time here on Earth, which is microscopically small compared to how long the Earth has been around. Environmental issues did not come into public light until the 1960s and '70s, which is truly when people began to even consider that there was immense damage being caused by humans.

That’s only 40 to 50 years of attempting to clean up and regulate companies that have been severely harming the environment for a very long time. We are taking steps towards bettering our pollution output, but it is not enough. Renewable energy has to be the future if our race wishes to survive here -- there’s no way around it. Incredible research and devices towards solar, wind and water energy makes it possible for much of our country to be run on renewable energy, but it always comes back to money -- it is cheaper to by oil and coal. Within the next few decades, renewable energy will become more affordable and more companies will buy it. But until then we can do small things to be more environmentally friendly in our everyday lives.

1. Take a shorter shower.

A 10-minute shower uses about 20 gallons of water. That’s a significant amount of water. If you’re taking a 30-minute shower every day, that’s roughly 28,000 gallons of water a year (multiply that by 318 million people living in just the U.S. = 8.904 trillion gallons of water a year). So do the world a favor and don’t stand in the shower for an extra four minutes to sing a song -- in the long run, it’s not worth it. Get in and get out.

2. Recycle.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, and Western specifically, we have a fairly good understanding of recycling. It’s widely practiced and a common part of everyday life here. But in other places in the U.S., it is not as common as you would like to think. Around the U.S., only 32 percent of total waste is recycled (waste that can be recycled). It costs $30 to recycle a ton of waste, $50 to send it to the landfill, and $65-$75 to incinerate it. Not only that, but the recyclable waste then takes up room in landfills all across the world (or in our oceans, yay). For example, in 1993 the U.S. paper recovery saved more than 90 million cubic yards of landfill space. That’s a lot. Recycle, recycle, recycle. Recycle that one scrap of paper and that plastic bottle. It's not hard!

3. Buy your own reusable water bottle.

There is no reason to go to Costco (as much as I love Costco) and buy a bulk size of disposable water bottles. Seventeen million barrels of oil are used each year to produce disposable water bottles. Not only would buying your own water bottle be beneficial to the environment, but also to your wallet. Buying one $5 reusable water bottle that can last you for a very long time, or buy a $10 pack of water every week. I think you can make the intelligent choice here.

4. Make the switch to LED light bulbs.

Many of the light bulbs in houses today are much less efficient than the more efficient and environmentally friendly LED lights. LEDs use about one-sixth of the electricity than incandescent light bulbs use, and they also last 25 times longer. It also costs you less money to conserve energy, and you should absolutely do it. Luckily for Bellinghamsters, CAZ Energy Services offers a FREE installation of up to 20 LED lights in your household. It’s that easy. Give them a call (360-389-1056) to ask any questions or schedule an appointment. If you do not live in Bellingham, there are other companies that do the same thing; you just have to do a little research.

5. Reduce your car usage.

Carpooling, public transportation, and biking are just some of the ways you can reduce your carbon emission. Not using your car for two days will reduce your greenhouse emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year. So if you don’t really need to go anywhere, or you can walk there instead, take the more environmentally friendly route. Try to combine your errands and hit all the places you need to go in one trip. Every car off the road helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions that pollute the air.

6. Turn off the lights.

Probably the simplest of things to do, as it only takes half of a second. It’s also pretty simple: if you’re not in the room, turn off the lights. It’s common sense to do. While it isn’t the most overly expensive thing to leave on (roughly $0.20 a kilowatt per hour), it unnecessarily wastes energy. It also effects the oldest cycle of all time: night and day. By artificially lighting up the night sky, it disrupts the wildlife and ecosystems all around us. They rely on the daily cycle of night and day for reproduction, nourishment, and sleep. Many studies show that artificial lighting has a very negative effect on the ecosystems around us.

7. Do less laundry.

There’s no reason to do more than one load of laundry a week, if that. If your clothes don’t smell or aren’t dirty, then hang them back up and wear them again. Once you need to do a load, make sure it is a full load, not a couple of T-shirts and a pair of jeans. An average load of laundry uses roughly 40 gallons of water, more if your washer isn’t energy efficient. Also, use cold water -- it takes significantly more energy to heat up the water, and it won’t effect your wash. Combine light and dark clothes, using full loads less often and with cold water can save up to 3,400 gallons of water per year.

8. Reuse old things.

You don’t need a new cell phone every two years, and that toaster with a small problem can simply be fixed with a few tweaks or help from a friend. No need to throw something out that isn’t broken or can be fixed with a little bit of effort. Americans specifically throw away a significant amount of items because they want the the next new thing, or are too lazy to fix something. There are places you can take your appliances where they can safely reuse the items. These places vary from appliance drop-offs to free pick ups -- Bellingham's Appliance Depot is a safe place to drop off old appliances for good reuse. That skirt your sister doesn’t want will look much better on you than in a landfill somewhere. The plastic bag you purchased your apples in can double a trash bag or contain those loose colored pencils flying around in your drawer. Think outside the box.

So do your part. Try to think a little harder about the things you can consciously do to prevent further damage to our beautiful planet. Pick up the trash you see on the path, or suggest a carpool to the movies instead of individual cars. The Pacific Northwest, especially Bellingham, has been known to be more environmentally conscious than other places, but we can always improve. Tell your friends; educate them. Education is key to promote environmental issues and bring it to everyone’s attention. Take these small steps to lower your carbon footprint and become more environmentally aware.